September 20, 2007

Two Films


So last night I watched two films.

The first was The Color of Pomegranates, by director Sergei Paradjanov. I picked it up from Netflix, intrigued by the blurb:
Paradjanov's acclaimed poetic masterpiece was banned by Soviet censors who feared it was a nationalist parable.The story depicts the life and spiritual odyssey of the medieval Armenian poet and troubadour Sayat Nova, and his rise from carpet weaver to archbishop and martyr.

And reviewers/viewers had good things to say about it. It sounded interesting.

Not.

If you like art for art's sake, self-conscious creations of imagery and poor production quality, sure, this can't be beat. But I could not stick it out. I guess I should have read further down the reviewers' page, where a helpful soul put down:

Poetic masterpiece? Oh maybe, if you like a nonstop procession of catatonic actors holding strange items in front of the camera, while the camera performs little tricks (slows down, speeds up, overlaps the image, never really tells a story...) Insufferable.


So then I turned to my second movie, Alix Lambert's documentary, The Mark of Cain. It is about life in Russian prisons and, more specifically, about the cult of tattooing that prisoners have employed over the decades to mark and identify themselves. I was put onto the film after hearing Viggo Mortensen talk about how he viewed it as part of his preparation to play a Russian "Thief in Law" in London, in the new film, Eastern Promises.

Lambert's film came out a few years back, was shown on Nightline, and has won an Independent Spirit Award. It does not have US distribution, but should. If you are interested you can probably order a copy directly from Lambert on her website.

I will save my full review for our print edition, but will say here that this is quite possibly one of the best, most revealing documentaries on Russia produced in the last 15 years. As I am sitting there, watching it with my son (15), he turns and says, "This is now? This is not the Gulags?"

Actually, it is the Gulags, and it is still going on. As someone once said (or am I paraphrasing?), you can judge a country by the condition of its prisons and its orphanages - how it takes care of its least fortunate, its underclasses. Well, oil-rich Russia comes out pretty poorly in this film. But it is not one to miss.

Btw, if you are interested in how Lambert got the incredible access she did to these prisons, you can read a bit about it in this interview.

Finally, this is something I stumbled across today. I won't say how, even though it is interesting. You really need to understand Russian to get the full impact. But if you don't, basically it is a Russian guy saying he wants to go out to the bar tonight, and his wife offering, well, counterarguments.

Cheers.

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955